Weteran Says Employer Promised $180 000 If He Bought His House — Dave Ramsey Calls Him The 'Walking Definition' Of Too Good To Be True

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Some deals fall apart long before the damage shows.

That was the position Ethan found himself in after a promised $180,000 salary tied to an $830,000 home purchase left him unemployed, $200,000 underwater and owed more than $150,000 in unpaid wages.

Ethan, from Florida, told "The Ramsey Show" the offer set everything else in motion.

"Yeah, this is it," personal finance expert Dave Ramsey said. "You're like the walking definition." In Ramsey's view, the deal sounded too good to be true.

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When The Job Offer Became The Down Payment

Ethan said he joined the military right out of high school, served four years, got his degree, and moved his wife and child to Florida for a military-sponsored internship when he was 22.

At the end of the program, he said the company's owner offered him a $180,000 salary on the condition that he buy his house as part of the deal. The terms were put into an employment contract and offer letter, which he said was enough on its own to qualify him for a Veterans Affairs jumbo loan that required no down payment.

He moved forward with the purchase, taking on an $845,000 mortgage for a home priced at $830,000, at a 6.75% interest rate that pushed the monthly payment to nearly $7,000. His pay was cut immediately after closing and continued to fall as the company declined.

"The whole thing was a scam from day 1," Ramsey said.

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The Deal Passed Every Test — Until It Didn't

Ethan said he later contacted the Department Veterans Affairs, which reviewed the loan's origination and found it legitimate.

He said the same employer who offered him the $180,000 job also sold him the house, and that offer letter was what qualified him for the loan. The owner, also a veteran, convinced multiple employees the company was legitimate before the business began to fall apart, Ethan said.

He moved his wife and child into a rental and was preparing to start another job. With the mortgage set to go overdue, Ethan said a short sale was his only realistic option.

The Two Words That Decide Whether This Gets Worse

Ramsey said Ethan should move forward only if the short-sale paperwork included the words "without recourse."

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Otherwise, he said, the VA could still pursue him for the remaining balance, leaving him no better off than in foreclosure. Ramsey warned that the VA rarely agrees to forgive what is left unpaid after a short sale.

"The VA is supposed to be there for veterans," he said. "And quite honestly, they’re not."

Ramsey pointed back to the offer itself, saying a $180,000 salary should have raised immediate doubts for a 22-year-old buying his first home. "If they’re going to chase you for the difference, make them foreclose," he said.

Situations like this often come down to a single decision point — signing an agreement without fully understanding how all the terms could play out in practice. When income, housing, and employment are tied together in the same arrangement, the downside risk can become difficult to see until it's too late.

In cases involving major financial commitments, some people choose to seek a second opinion before moving forward. AdviserMatch connects users with vetted financial professionals for a complimentary consultation to review major financial decisions, understand potential risks, and evaluate long-term implications.

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